Randy’s Story

Site created on December 3, 2018

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.  Randy was diagnosed with Non- alcoholic Cirrhosis of the liver and shared this with immediate family in late June 2018.  Randy had been diagnosed a few years earlier with fatty liver disease which developed into non-alcoholic liver disease (Cirrhosis). His health had been obviously declining all spring leading up to this, but the diagnosis still came as quite a shock to all of us.


Randy’s health continued to rapidly decline and it became apparent that their beloved home was more than they could keep up. In July the family rallied and frantically worked to get the family home of 32 years ready to sell. Thanks to realtor extraordinaire, Brooks, the house sold over asking price in one weekend.  In September Kris, Randy and Birke moved to a detached townhome in Blaine, where they are even closer to Karra & Brooks and their families.


In July Randy began extensive testing at the U of M to explore transplant options, and has also continued to be monitored closely by his GP.


Randy has had many setbacks in the past few months including two bad falls, extreme weakness and fatigue, and excess fluid building up in his abdomen.  He currently visits Unity hospital weekly to get this fluid drained. 


We appreciate the love, concern and prayers so many of you have already shown us. It has taken some time for Randy to feel comfortable sharing his story, but he has reached that point. We will update as new information becomes available. Thank you! 







Newest Update

Journal entry by Karra Maki

I have more fantastic news to report! After a care conference that we attended today with my dad and his care team, they confirmed that dad will be able to come home tomorrow in the late morning! Dad says he feels like he’s “busting out of prison,” and that we need to “get him out quickly before they change their mind!” 😂

We are so thirilled with this news and with the amazing progress that my dad has continued to make! Rehab went so well for him. He learned many techniques for ways to do everyday tasks safely at home, as well as continued to gain more strength. His balance has improved significantly, although he will continue to use a walker when he first returns home for stability, safety and reassurance. His feeding tube came out earlier this week, and dad is starting to eat a bit more. He has still continued to lose weight, so that will be another thing to monitor at home. Overall though, dad has made it through his recovery thus far remarkably well! 

Dad will continue to need outpatient therapy three times a week, with fewer sessions as his recovery continues. He’s also coming home with a plethora of pills to take daily. His nursing staff worked with him to help him practice managing his own medication schedule, to which he responded, “I’ve had an event planner scheduling things for me for over 40 years, so why start now?” My mom didn’t think it was nearly as funny as he did. 😜

There is still a long road ahead, but we know that we are heading in the right direction. Through it all, dad has continued to be an inspiration to all of us! The progress he has made in the short 3 1/2 weeks since his transplant has been nothing short of miraculous! In my option, he has improved to the condition he was in months (not weeks!) before his surgery, so I have great confidence that his transition home will be a smooth one.

Dad has thoroughly enjoyed all that have visited and sent messages! Thank you! He is very well on his way to being his old self again, so I’m sure he will continue to enjoy spending time with family and friends as he continues his recovery. Thank you once again to our amazing army of supporters! We could not have made it through our journey this far without you! This experience has been a true miracle, and we are so thankful for the opportunity of a second chance with my dad. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes. Please continue to pray for his recovery. 

I will continue to update as things change, but it likely won’t be as often. We have made it through the biggest hurdles already, Praise the Lord! We now look forward to a stronger, healthier and beautiful future with my dad. ❤️
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